We live in the Pacific Northwest. Which means that it will pretty much rain ALL THE TIME from now on until June. Or at least once a day.

People here seem to have a strange aversion to carrying umbrellas and therefore everybody dresses in functional rain gear most of the time. Totally fine when ferrying the kids to and fro school, running errands or biking. You should see me walking my dog: I am totally decked out in rain boots, rubber pants, rainjacket and hat. After all, I have to carry a leash and have to have my hands free for important things like throwing a stick. Not umbrella-friendly.

However, outerwear can be so pretty! It is so sad when an otherwise smart outfit gets toned down by a Columbia Sportswear jacket. Our counterparts in Europe seem to have a different outerwear taste – even in the rain – as I was able to witness just recently.

Hence, let me introduce to some fine options that we currently have at the store.

Hazel orange tweed jacket

This jacket is lightweight wool, lined and has just the right zest of color to brighten up a cloudy day.

SkunkFunk Lerate jacket

SkunkFunk is known for their slightly unusual designs. This jacket has a round hem, is of solid boiled wool (think water repellent!) and a a hidden hood in the collar.

Darling ‘camel hair’ coat

I had to put this sweet coat on just to show off how well it works over a dress. Now, that is one smart coat. (umbrella required)

Hazel 50’s inspired jacket

To me this jacket has a certain vintage flair. The fake fur collar is detachable, which makes the jacket look like a wool blazer. It looks nice with pants or a pencil skirt.

Last but not least, a jacket/sweater option that would work well while driving or running errands:

Curio, New York

I’m with the Europeans on this issue and advocate for nice looking outerwear!